Ross and her husband sold Cactus TV to All3Media, the super-indie behind shows such as Shameless, Skins and The Only Way is Essex, in 2003.

The pair have bought back full control of Cactus from All3Media for an undisclosed sum.

"It is perfect timing as we have just bought an exciting new studio complex to house Cactus and our other ventures, so it made sense to buy it back," said Ross.

Simon Ross added: "It's really a lifestyle choice, we have recently adopted two small boys and we wanted to be in control of our working lives."

Cactus makes shows including The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain for BBC2.

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